Revision of the Common Fisheries Policy

Key points

The EESC:

• calls for the mandatory and guaranteed allocation of EUR 6.1 billion for the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), in line with the current 2021-2027 budget, to preserve one of the EU’s few exclusive competences and avoid competition with other sectors. A dedicated chapter should address fisheries ensuring adequate public investment and legal certainty for operators;

• is concerned about the apparent prioritisation of achieving the objectives of the non-binding European Ocean Pact, instead of prioritising contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the CFP, which is the objective defined under the TFEU and the CFP Regulation;

• welcomes the proposal to strengthen coherence and synergies with related initiatives and funds to avoid duplication of efforts and maximise the impact of public investments. However, it urges the EC to ensure that governments make the necessary investments to meet the objectives of the CFP;

• stresses the need to make the definition of small-scale coastal fishing more flexible, basing it on the criteria established by the FAO and the regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs);

• points out that it is imperative that Member States (MS) develop plans and measures to modernise and renew their vessels, to improve energy efficiency, on-board safety and working conditions, without increasing fishing capacity;

• welcomes the European Commission’s (EC) intention to establish a simple architecture without predefining measures and detailed eligibility rules at Union level in an overly prescriptive manner. The Committee urges the MS to maintain this spirit of flexibility and simplification when developing their national and regional partnership plans (NRCPs). It also calls for the establishment of guidelines on the ‘do no significant harm’ principle applicable across all sectors;

• agrees with the need to maintain a certain degree of flexibility in the determination of aid intensity rates, in order to allow MS to adapt their NRCPs to the specific characteristics of their sectors and regions;

• welcomes the new simplification and wording relating to operations eligible for State aid.